A friend to the friendless
by Phish Tacko
Summary: Twins Anthony and Alice have moved from Manchester, England to Chamberlain, Maine with their family, coincidentally next door to Carrie White. May turn into Carrie/OC.
1. Welcome to Chamberlain

**Summary: Hey, check it out. I've finally gotten off my arse and written something fresh for my fans. Hopefully it doesn't suck.**

**Disclaimer: Stephen King owns Carrie. I own the twins and their family. I win.**

**PLEASE NOTE: Anthony is portrayed by Jamie Campbell Bower, Alice is portrayed by Ashley Greene, their parents (Nell and Leonard) are portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp, respectively. Carrie is portrayed by Chloe Grace Moretz. There's some of the book and a little bit of each movie/miniseries (especially the newest one. They did a really good job on it) mixed in there because I'm stupid and don't do continuity well. Whatever. This is fanfiction, I can do what I want.**

* * *

_Welcome to Chamberlain._

Anthony looked up from his book as the car hit another speed bump.

"I hate speed bumps." He thought as he looked over at his twin sister, who was sketching yet another design in the sketchbook that lay open across her lap.

"We're almost there."

Alice looked up from her sketchbook and exchanged a glance with Anthony.

"Really, mum?" She asked. Anthony turned around and looked out the rear window at the moving van that trailed behind their small car.

"Yes, really." Their mother slowed the car as they approached a stop sign. "Look for a Carlin street, all right?"

"Right, mum." The twins answered before resuming looking out of their windows.

_5 minutes later…_

"There it is." Anthony pointed out. Nell turned the car onto Carlin street and kept going until she saw the new house. She slowed, stopped the car, put it in park, and turned off the engine.

"Here we are."

As they all got out of the car, Anthony noticed the house on the right. It was blue with white trim, slightly run-down, and there was a girl looking shyly at him and Alice out of what appeared to be an attic window.

"Anthony? Anthony!"

Anthony blinked and turned to Alice. "Huh?"

"Get your bags out of the car. I've been trying to say that for a minute now." Alice moved closer to him and lowered her voice. "Did you have a vision?"

"Huh? Oh, no." Anthony grunted as he lifted his two suitcases out of the trunk. "Just thinking."

"And…?"

"Just thinking about the house next door." Anthony looked back up at the window, but the girl was gone.

"All right, kids, get your bags inside." Nell called from the front door, straining under the weight of her two suitcases. "Get acquainted with your room. You'll be sharing it. Is that all right?"

"We don't mind, mum." Alice chirped as she hoisted her suitcases off the ground and started up the steps to the porch. "Come on, Anthony."

Anthony grunted as he lifted his suitcases off the ground and followed his sister and mum into the house.

"Ain't this homey, now?" Nell asked as she set her suitcases down. "Nice big living room, nicely sized kitchen. It'll look much better once we get the furniture in, maybe some cheery wallpaper..."

"Yeah." Anthony agreed absentmindedly as he looked around him and headed for the staircase.

"Which room is ours?" Anthony heard Alice ask.

"First one on the right."

"Thanks, mum."

* * *

"All right, Anthony. Tell me what you saw, and don't leave ANYTHING out." Alice demanded once they got their luggage up to the room they were to share.

"There was no vision, just a girl in one of the attic windows of the house next door. What's to tell?"

"Kids!" They suddenly heard their mother call. "Come downstairs and meet our neighbor!"

"We'll talk later, yeah?" Alice whispered to Anthony, who nodded, as they headed downstairs.

"Won't you come in, Mrs White?" They heard their mother ask someone.

"Oh, how kind of you!" The door creaked as it closed.

"I'm sorry there's nothing to sit on, we just got here."

"It's quite all right, Mrs…?"

"Barker, but you're welcome to call me Nell."

"Ah. Well. I'm here on the Lord's business, Mrs Barker, and I have something I KNOW is going to interest you and your family."

"Thank you, Mrs White." Nell said as she sat down on a box. "Please, find a box and sit."

"That won't be necessary, Mrs Barker. I can't stay long anyway."

Nell suddenly turned around. "Ah, children! This is Mrs White. She lives next door."

"I'm Anthony…" Anthony said shyly as he shook Mrs White's hand. It was cold and white and it squeezed his hand firmly. He let go after a couple of seconds and stared awkwardly at Mrs White's frizzy red hair.

"And I'm Alice." Alice said as she shook her hand.

"What lovely children you have, Mrs Barker."

"Thank you, Mrs White. I'm sorry Leonard isn't here to meet you, he's helping the movers."

"It's quite all right." Mrs White pulled something out of her black bag.

"Oh, a Bible!" Nell trilled as Mrs White handed her a small leather-bound Bible. "Thank you!"

"The ultimate path to salvation through the Christ Jesus!"

"This is very kind of you, Mrs White."

"Always a pleasure to bring lost souls to our Father."

"I couldn't agree with you more."

"Well, I must be going. I have some business to attend to."

"That's quite all right. It was a pleasure to meet you."

"Thank you."

"Goodbye!"

After the door closed, Nell sighed and turned to her children.

"Well, I would say that was sufficiently awkward." She said with a sigh. "I'm going outside to help your father. Don't get into any trouble."

"We won't, mum." Anthony responded as he and Alice started back up the stairs.

* * *

After a dinner of pizza, the twins once again retreated to their room to finish unpacking their things.

"Which side of the closet do you want?" Alice asked.

"Eh." Anthony replied absentmindedly as he stared out the window, making it obvious that he wasn't paying attention.

"Anthony," Alice sat down next to him on the windowsill. "do you hear me?"

"Yeah."

"Then what did I just say?"

"You asked if I heard you."

"Don't be a smart arse, Anthony. I can tell something is on your mind." Alice paused as she saw her brother lift his hand and wave at someone. She followed Anthony's gaze and saw a girl wave back shyly from an attic window of the house next door. The girl had long blond hair and was wearing a white sleeveless nightgown.

"Ah, so that's what's up." Alice got up and walked back to their closet. "I'm taking the right half of the closet, Anthony."

"That's fine." Anthony said absentmindedly as he watched the girl in the house next door close her windows and curtains. "You've the right half of the room anyway." Anthony got up and sat on his bed. "So what do you make of 'er?"

"I don't know. We haven't had a chance to meet 'er yet."

"Well, tomorrow's Tuesday, so we might catch 'er on the commute to school."

"Maybe we can walk with 'er if she doesn't drive or take a bus."

"Maybe." Anthony stood up with a sigh, walked over to the window, and closed it. "I'm assuming you already know what you want to wear tomorrow…"

"Surprisingly, no." Alice sighed and turned the closet light on. "I'm so used to uniforms that it's difficult to decide what I should wear."

"Think of it this way, Alice." Anthony said as he sat down on the floor and pulled his suitcase out from under his bed. "What would you wear on a Saturday to go shopping?"

"I know what you would wear." Alice shot back.

"What?" Anthony looked up at her. "What's wrong with a t-shirt and jeans?"

"I'm not saying anything's wrong with it, I'm just saying that you're fairly predictable when picking out clothes." Alice paused and pulled a white sleeveless blouse out of her suitcase. "What do you think?"

"Did you make that?"

"Of course. Should I wear it?"

"Alice, I'm probably not the best person to ask, being Mr Predictable."

"Right." Alice began humming as she pulled out a white sweater coat, a pair of light jeans, a shiny navy blue vest, and a pair of black ballet flats.

"Guess I should probably pick out something to wear so we're not late on the first day…" Anthony thought as he opened his suitcase. He rifled through the rumpled mess of clothing until he found what he wanted: a faded green Led Zeppelin t-shirt and a pair of black jeans that he knew fit him tightly, but wore anyway. "Perfect." He laid his clothes out on the chair that he had placed near the end of his bed, along with his black Converse hightops and navy sweatshirt.

"I hope the people there are nice." Alice said as she laid her outfit out on the chair by her sewing machine.

"Alice, relax. We're going to be fine. I know we were outcasts back in Manchester, but think of this as a fresh start."

"I know, but still…"

"Look, let's just try to get some sleep, yeah? We'll fret about this in the morning."

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Good night, Alice."

"Good night, Anthony." The twins turned out their lights, turned on their alarms, and went to sleep.

* * *

**It's not my best, but at least it's not horrible. The heavy editing should have helped, at least.**


	2. Carrie

**Summary: Chapter two. Have finally gotten off my lazy arse, pulled my focus away from other fics, and written more.**

**Disclaimer: Stephen King owns Carrie. I, however, own the Barker twins and their parents. I win.**

* * *

_R-R-R-R-R-R-ING!_

Anthony groaned and turned over as his alarm clock rang loudly.

"Ugh… Not today…" He heard Alice groan from across the room. Her bedsprings creaked as she sat up and turned off her alarm. "Get up, Anthony."

Anthony grunted as Alice suddenly sat on him.

"Get off." He mumbled as his face was mushed into his pillow.

"Not 'til you get up."

"I can't get up when you're sitting on me."

"Too bad."

Anthony grunted as he sat up and pushed his twin off his legs. "Ha."

"Ha." Alice hopped off his bed, grabbed her clothes off her sewing table, walked into the closet, and shut the door behind her. Anthony kicked the covers away and swung his long legs over the edge of the bed, rubbing his eyes with the heel of one hand.

"It's too early in the morning for this…" He thought as he yawned and stretched. "All right. Now where did I put my clothes?" Anthony stood and wandered over to the chair where he'd draped his clothes over the night before. "Ah, there they are…" He pulled his oversized t-shirt over his head and proceeded to dress.

"Anthony?" Alice called after a couple minutes. "Are you decent?"

"Yes." Anthony finished tying his sneakers. "Come on out." Alice stepped out of their closet and modeled her outfit. "Looks good."

"I think my cameo pulls it all together."

"Mmm."

"Kids?" Nell poked her head into the bedroom. "Breakfast is on the table."

"Thanks, mum." The twins answered in unison as their mother left the room.

* * *

After breakfast, the twins started on their trek to school.

"Which way are we going?" Alice asked.

"That way." Anthony guessed, pointing to the right. The girl they'd seen the previous night walked past them, looking down at her feet. "Excuse me…" Anthony tapped the girl on the shoulder. She looked up shyly and blinked. "We're looking for Ewen High School."

"That's where I'm headed." The girl looked back down at the books she was clutching to her chest.

"I'm Anthony." Anthony held his hand out for a handshake. "Anthony Barker."

"Carrie White." Carrie shook Anthony's hand tentatively, almost as if she expected a buzzer to be strapped to his palm.

"I'm his twin sister. Alice Barker, at your service!" Alice shook Carrie's hand eagerly.

Carrie was dumbstruck. Usually, nobody bothered to talk to her, let alone shake her hand, unless they were about to tease her. This was all very new and strange to her. These people seemed nice, though, as there was no attempt to embarrass her.

"Mind if we walk with you?" Anthony asked.

"Okay." Carrie said quietly, slowing her pace so the twins could keep up with her. "I've never had people walk with me before…"

"Why not start now?" Alice asked brightly. "You look like you could use a friend or two."

Carrie blushed.

"Thanks…" She said quietly, letting her hair fall around her face like a curtain.

Anthony reached over and brushed Carrie's hair over her ear. She flinched, but relaxed when she realized Anthony wasn't trying to hurt her.

"You've got pretty eyes." He commented as he let his eyes scan her face. Her eyes were a slate blue, framed by blonde lashes and a pair of soft-looking pink lips sat under her pert nose. "You do, really."

Carrie looked suspiciously at Anthony. He seemed sincere, but she was used to people saying things like that before insulting her. But Anthony's eyes held no malice and his smile was kind.

"Where're you from?" She asked shyly in an attempt to make conversation.

"We're from Manchester." Alice answered. "England."

"Our mum's a baker." Anthony added. "Perhaps you'd like to try one of her baking experiments."

"She makes the best cherry pies you've ever tasted."

"Sounds nice." Carrie smiled a little and sniffled. "Uh… Do you have any pets?"

"We have a cat named Smokey." Alice replied, stopping to adjust her shoe. "He's three months old."

"He's stupid and psychotic, but lovable."

"He likes everyone he's not afraid of."

"He's afraid of everything that didn't originate inside the house."

"He liked Aunt Margaret."

"…Because she lived with us."

Carrie sighed. She'd figured this would happen. She quickened her pace, only to have the twins run to catch up with her.

"Sorry about that." Anthony apologized, pushing his long messy hair back behind his ears and blushing a little. "That happens all the time. So, anyway, what about you?"

"Momma says pets are of the devil." Carrie said sadly, looking down at her books. "She says it's sinful."

They walked in silence for a few minutes.

"Momma said she went to visit you yesterday." Carrie said awkwardly, blushing and clutching her books tighter.

"She did, yeah." Alice shifted her binder from her left arm to her right. "She didn't say anything… bad… did she?"

"All she said was her usual. She said she prays you find Jesus." Alice and Anthony wrinkled their brows and exchanged a confused glance.

"But we're already Christian."

"That's good to know." Once again, they walked in silence for a few minutes.

"This is awkward." Anthony commented as he shifted his backpack to his front and put his arms through the straps. Carrie looked at him and chuckled when she saw the placement of his bag. "Wot?" Anthony pretended like it was totally normal to wear a backpack on one's front.

"You're funny." Carrie said softly as Anthony began walking backwards.

"I think it best that you get used to seeing Anthony like that." Alice chuckled.

"Why?"

"Well, Carrie, it always seems like he's had a bit too much sugar."

"That's why they love me, Alice!" Anthony said grandly as he turned around and started to walk normally. "Because I love sugar!" He put his left arm around Carrie's thin shoulders. Carrie flinched again, as she wasn't used to such an affectionate gesture, but soon relaxed as she realized that she rather liked the feel of Anthony's thin arm around her shoulders.

"Did you have sugar with breakfast?" Carrie asked as they approached the school.

"Unfortunately, yes." Alice answered. "Mum made cinnamon toast."

"The most perfect blend of cinnamon and sugar imaginable!" Anthony said theatrically.

"Oh, look who it is." A feminine sneering voice cut in. "Who're your friends, Carrie?" Carrie took this opportunity to shake Anthony's arm from her shoulders and run. This was one of the moments she dreaded about every day… confronting the horrible Chris Hargenson.

Chris grabbed the back of Carrie's light blue cardigan. "I said, who are your friends?"

"Alice and Anthony Barker." Alice declared boldly as she stepped forward. "And who are you supposed to be?"

Carrie cringed. This wasn't going to end well. Chris advanced menacingly toward Alice and pulled her lips back into a scowl.

"Chris Hargenson." She said as she looked down at Alice in an attempt to intimidate her. Alice, however, didn't appear to be intimidated. In fact, from where Carrie stood, she looked calm and slightly amused.

"Your attempts to intimidate me are amusing, but wasted." She said calmly as Anthony planted himself at her right, his backpack still on his front. "So if you would kindly move aside, we'll be on our way." The twins tried to step around Chris, but she stepped in front of them, scowling.

"What're you doing with Carrie White? She's one of those religious freaks."

"She seemed perfectly normal to us when we walked with her." Anthony shot back, drawing himself up to his full height of five feet, six inches.

Carrie's eyes widened. She'd never had anybody stand up for her before. Against Chris, no less.

"She's certainly more pleasant to talk to." Alice agreed with Anthony. "Now, Chris, if you please." She waved her hand and walked over to Carrie, Anthony trailing behind. Carrie let go of the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding and hitched her books higher in her arms.

"Alice Barker, you are officially my new hero." She said as Alice blushed and looked down at her books.

"I'm actually shaking…" Alice responded before shrugging, her voice trembling slightly. "But she's really no worse than the girls back in Manchester."

"And we've been picked on since primary school, so we've since learned to adapt." Anthony added.

"Sounds like the story of my life, too." Carrie shifted her weight from foot to foot. "It's just that I've never seen Chris put in her place like that before. It was something I never thought I'd see."

"I'm sure many others were thinking that too." Anthony glanced around at the crowd of students that had gathered.

The bell suddenly rang loudly, startling the twins.

"There's the bell…" Carrie said timidly, ducking into the building. "I gotta go…"

"Wait!" Anthony called after her. "Where's the office?"

"Why?"

"It's our first day, you know, and maps will probably be needed."

"Oh." Carrie turned and pointed down a hallway. "It's the last door on the left."

"Thanks!" Carrie watched as the twins headed off to the office for a few seconds before finally turning and heading to class.

* * *

"So, how was your first day at an American school?" Leonard asked as he poured some milk for the twins.

"Not as bad as we had anticipated." Alice responded before biting into a cookie. "And we've already made a new friend."

"Oh?" Leonard put the milk back into the fridge and sat down across from the twins at the table. "Anything else happen?"

"Alice is someone's new hero." Anthony piped up, taking a sip of milk. "She put someone in their place and there was even a crowd gathered 'round."

"Really?" Leonard raised his eyebrows. "What were they doing?"

"They were insulting the girl we were with."

"They called her a religious freak."

"That's certainly not a good thing to do." Leonard rested his chin on his fists.

"No. No, it's not." Anthony took another sip of milk and sighed. "Other than that, nothing really happened."

"Except that we got lost." Alice cut in. "Several times."

"Well, it's only the first day." Leonard reminded them as he stood. "It's a new school. Things will get easier."

"We can only hope…" Anthony heard Alice mutter under her breath.

Anthony suddenly gasped

(shower locker room)

and widened his eyes

(Carrie white blood Help me I'm dying help me)

a vision suddenly struck him.

"Anthony?" Alice shook her brother's shoulder. "Anthony, what do you see?"

(girls crowding around throwing things PLUG IT UP scaring her to death)

"Anthony? Anthony!" Anthony snapped out of his stupor and whipped his head around to look at his sister. "What did you see?"

"I saw Carrie…" He hopped off his chair and put his glass in the sink. "She was bleeding."

"Bleeding?" Alice stepped in front of Anthony. "Bleeding from where? Was she hurt?"

"I don't know." He sighed and stepped around his elder twin. "But they were throwing things at her, if that's any help."

"Where was she, do you remember?"

"It looked like a locker room of some sort, to me."

"A school locker room?"

"As opposed to what? Yes, a school locker room!"

"What were they throwing and who was throwing?" Alice put her hands on her hips.

"It was a bunch of girls around her, but I couldn't tell what they were throwing. Bath tissue, perhaps?"

"Bath tissue?"

"I think."

"Why would they throw that?"

"I don't know, Alice. I don't understand the girls back in Manchester, let alone American girls." Anthony rubbed his temples and sighed. "That's where it cuts off."

"You didn't see anything else?"

"No." He wandered into the living room and sat down on the couch. "What do you think it means?"

"I don't know." Alice sat down next to him. "We'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

The next morning was fairly uneventful. Anthony and Alice walked to school with Carrie again, but didn't run into Chris. They didn't get lost quite so many times and the novelty of the first day had already worn off. Their classmates felt no more need to stare and they were starting to get used to American customs.

"Wow…" Anthony glanced around the lunchroom.

"I know." Alice stood next to him. "This is certainly different."

"Yeah… The food's different."

"Vastly different." Alice squinted and looked around for an empty table. "How about we sit over there?"

"Okay." They headed over and sat down.

* * *

"Is my seat taken today?" Carrie thought as she walked into the lunchroom. This had been happening for the past couple of weeks. Each time she'd walk into the cafeteria for lunch, her table would be full of people like Chris and her friends and she would be forced to eat by the garbage. Trash would get thrown at her and she would have to move, even when there wasn't a single spot where she could eat in peace.

Today was different. Today, Chris wasn't there, but two vaguely familiar people sat at the otherwise empty table. Getting closer, Carrie eventually recognized them as Anthony and Alice.

"Is this seat taken?" She gestured to a chair next to Anthony.

"Nope." He looked up. "Oh! Hi, Carrie."

"Hi." She sat down and set her books down.

"How's your day been?"

"Fine, I guess…" She looked down. "Yours?"

"Pretty good, I'd say." Alice answered.

"Better than yesterday, I suppose."

"Ah." Carrie opened her lunch sack and pulled out an apple.

(shiny red apple forbidden fruit)

She bit into it and sighed.

"Everything all right?" Anthony asked.

"Why?"

"You seem sad."

"I'm not sad." Carrie put her apple down. "Just thinking."

"What about?"

"Life. School.

(burn all of them show them how cruel I can be see how they like it)

The usual." She rested her chin in her hand.

"How's your mum?" Alice asked.

"Tolerable." Carrie sighed. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Okay." The brunette pulled her sketchbook out of her purse.

"What's that?"

"Oh, just some sketches." She flipped to a page with only the outline of a female figure. "I like to design clothes."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Do, uh… Do you sew?"

"I do." Alice scooted out and showed Carrie her skirt. "In fact, I made my skirt."

"I like it." Alice's skirt went almost to her knees. It was a red plaid and it flared out in an a-line shape when she stood.

"Did you make your outfit?" She gestured to Carrie's plain green dress and blue sweater.

"Most of it." Carrie smoothed her skirt. "Mama doesn't really let me shop for clothes that much, so I make most of them from scratch. A lot of it's from the same pattern."

"Uh…" Anthony had to admit, he hadn't the faintest idea what they were talking about. "So, Carrie, what do you like to do, other than sewing?"

"Well, there's really not much to do, to be honest. But I don't really get out much."

"No?"

"Not really." Carrie internally slapped her forehead and cursed.

(be quiet don't say too much they'll laugh at you they're all gonna laugh at you)

"It's all right." Anthony patted her hand. "We've only been here for a couple days, so we haven't done much, either."

"It seems like there's a lot to explore." Alice stuck her pencil behind her ear.

"Yeah, I guess." Carrie pulled a sandwich out of her bag.

"So, anyway, what do you like to do? Do you like to read, write, listen to music? That sort of thing?"

"I like to read and sew." She bit into her sandwich.

"Ah." Anthony fiddled with the cuff of his sweater. "I like to read too." He picked up his fork and picked at the mashed potatoes on his tray. "Is the food any good here?"

"I wouldn't know." Carrie shrugged. "I don't really buy my lunch."

"No?"

"I don't like to go through the lines."

"Why's that?" Alice asked. "Is it too crowded?"

"That's part of it, but I'm also picked on a lot. I'm sort of the laughing stock of the school. Always have been."

"I see." Anthony nodded sympathetically. "Sounds like the story of our lives, too. We weren't particularly liked back in Manchester."

"I was snubbed by pretty much all the girls and Anthony was beaten up at least once a week."

"Ugh." Carrie cringed. "They always throw things at me." She looked down and picked at her sandwich. "They call me names and they trip me."

(stop voicing your problems White making them want to leave you then you'll be a Nancy-no-friends forever that's what you want isn't it you just want them to leave you alone)

"Ugh." She shuddered and shook her head to silence the spiteful voice in the back of her mind.

"Carrie?"

She turned back to Anthony.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "I'm fine."

"Okay." He looked back down at his tray. "Just making sure."

* * *

**Geez, how long has it been since I updated? Grr… Sometimes I hate my brain. It doesn't let me write crap. That's what I need to do, go write some crap. I can always fix it later, right?**

**Right?**


	3. Downhill from here

**This is where it starts to heat up. It's filler length, but there's a little meat on the bone, so don't throw the baby out with the bathwater by skipping this chapter.**

* * *

After about a month or so, the twins were beginning to establish a routine. Each morning, they would walk to school with Carrie, go their separate ways to class, and meet up at lunch to reflect on their respective mornings. Afterward, they would part ways once again and, once the day was over, walk home together.

Carrie was beginning to notice a few changes in herself. She noticed that she wasn't feeling quite so bad about her situation as she spent more and more time with Anthony and Alice. She felt like she was becoming more and more positive about her life. It didn't even bother her quite as much when she was teased every day and constantly chastised by Mama.

The twins were also noticing a few changes, but theirs were not so welcome. While Alice noticed the whispers, jeers, and laughter in their direction, Anthony noticed the stares. The stares were what bothered him the most.

(stop staring at me don't like being stared at no reason to stare at me so stop it it's rude)

The locker rooms were where they felt the most vulnerable. Anthony could hear the taunts about his face and slight build while Alice heard the other girls snickering and whispering as they pointed and stared at her.

(Manchester all over again)

They couldn't ignore the fact that they were becoming targets because of their association with Carrie White. They both knew that it was probably the reason for the black looks they received whenever they were seen with her, but neither of them had the heart to leave her to fend for herself, not when they themselves were in such a delicate position. Not when they'd just started to develop a bond. And most certainly not now, when she was just starting to come out of her shell.

On this particular day in early May, they were walking home from school and reflecting silently until Alice suddenly broke the silence.

"How do you deal with it?" She asked.

"What?" Carrie stopped to remove her shoe and shake a pebble out.

"How do you handle the staring?" Anthony asked. "How do you handle the dirty looks and the name-calling?"

"I've learned to block it out." Carrie put her shoe back on. "That's why I stay away from everyone, so that I can't see or hear them." She straightened. "Why?"

"Well…" Anthony hesitated. "We're starting to feel like we're reliving Manchester."

"What do you mean?" The twins exchanged a glance.

"We're experiencing how cruel our fellow students can be." Alice answered.

"Oh…" Carrie bit her lip and tucked her hair back. "How did you deal with it before?"

"Mostly, we stuck together as much as we could."

"Safety in numbers." Anthony rubbed a bruise on his hip from being slammed into a locker. "It helps to have friends, anyway."

"We had friends."

"They abandoned us."

"Why did they abandon you?" Carrie asked.

"They didn't want to be picked on either." Anthony ran a hand through his hair and sighed shakily. "The past several years have been the worst years of our lives."

"Ah… Well…" Carrie pulled her hair back behind her shoulders. "At least you had each other and loving parents. I had nobody to talk to but Jesus."

"Trust us when we say that our parents weren't much help." Alice fluffed her hair. "They tried their best, but it didn't work. The only thing that was any help whatsoever was prayer, and even that was only small mercies."

"I know how that feels." Carrie looked over and noticed that Anthony was leaning on a tree now. How long had he been leaning there? "Anthony, are you okay?"

"Mm-hmm." He nodded. His face was obscured by his hair. "Just overcome with emotion at the humiliation we've endured at the hands of our classmates." Carrie was struck dumb by his sudden sarcasm.

"I'm sorry." She planted herself at his right. "I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories." She gingerly reached up and brushed his hair over his ear so she could see his face. She immediately regretted it when she noticed tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"Sorry…" Anthony rubbed at his eyes. "I just get so upset when I think about it. I mean, what would drive someone to do that?" He inhaled shakily to keep himself from getting more upset.

"C'mon, Anthony." Alice took her brother's arm. "Don't get upset. Everything will work out."

"I hope so." He looked like he was trying not to cry.

"Don't cry." Carrie took his hand hesitantly. She wasn't good at providing comfort, having never really been comforted herself. "Uh…"

"It's fine." He dried his eyes on his sweater sleeve. "I'm a little sensitive, I guess. I need to work on that."

"Sensitivity is good."

"Sensitivity is why I got my ass kicked so much back home." Anthony pulled his hair back into a ponytail with a rubber band he'd been keeping around his wrist. "My appearance just adds insult to injury."

"How so?" Carrie studied his face. She didn't see anything wrong with his high, sculpted cheekbones, full lips, large eyes, strong nose, long shiny hair, or his smooth jaw.

(Gabriel the angel)

"I look like a girl." He sighed. "I can't grow facial hair, either."

"I think you look like an angel." Carrie said almost inaudibly.

"What?"

"Nothing."

(stupid stupid stupid said the wrong thing always says the wrong thing)

"It doesn't help that girls only like the athletes and the dirtbags." Anthony rubbed his arms as if he were cold. "They don't seem to like guys like me."

"Well, while athletes may look nice, they're either stupid, rude, or both." Alice cut in.

"That's not very reassuring."

"Hmm… Yeah, I suppose not." She examined her pink-polished fingernails.

"You'll find someone." Carrie almost whispered as she let her hair fall around her face. "Some lucky girl will see what you're like and decide to stay with you because they love you."

"Who would bother to see past an IQ of 165?" Anthony asked miserably.

"Well, lots of people." She thought for a moment. "Like Sue Snell and Tommy Ross."

"You hesitated."

"Who are they?" Alice asked.

"Tommy's on the football team, the baseball team, the honor roll-"

"Oh, great, another bloody athlete!" Anthony cried, throwing his hands up in frustration.

"-And Sue is his girlfriend." Carrie finished limply. "Not the best example, I'm sorry."

"Ugh…" He tucked a renegade strand of hair back behind his ear. "Never mind. Maybe someday I'll find the girl I'm looking for and not have to be alone for the rest of my life." He started walking again.

"We'll have each other if we end up alone." Alice said.

"One can only hope."

* * *

**I love Jesus and I'm not ashamed to admit it. So if you see something in this fic that you disagree with, know that I'm a Christian and kindly refrain from bitching at me. Thanks very much.**

**Also: If you see something anywhere in this fic, like a verse from the Bible with an incorrect book, chapter, or verse number, please let me know so that I can fix it.**

**Don't get used to the frequent updates.**


	4. Blood sport

**This is where Stephen King's novel and the Brian de Palma/2002/2013 versions start, savvy?**

* * *

Anthony's vision came true a couple weeks before prom. It had not been a good day for any of them, especially Carrie. They had started volleyball in gym class, a class that she absolutely detested. The idea of changing into ill-fitting clothing that showed more skin than she would've liked and being forced to participate in humiliating athletic activities was not an idea that sat well with her, not to mention the humiliation of having to shower and change in the locker rooms where everyone stared.

As she sat in the office, hair dripping, belly cramping, she could hear the voices of Ms Desjardin and the assistant principal.

"…Until half an hour ago, I don't even think she knew there was such a thing."

She sighed and picked at her ragged cuticles. She hadn't known what was happening

(because of mama all because of mama)

and it had scared her tremendously.

(the catcalls the yelling the throwing why me why did this always happen to ME)

Carrie sniffled and looked up as the door opened. Anthony stepped in, closed the door quietly behind him, and handed a slip of paper to the secretary before glancing over his shoulder.

"Carrie?" His eyebrows furrowed.

"Hi…" Carrie's voice was tiny and still tearful.

"Hey." Anthony sat down in the chair next to her. "What's wrong? What happened? Are you all right?"

She sniffled in response.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Carrie shook her head and glanced at him through her hair. She could see a little blood on his otherwise clean white shirt.

"You're bleeding." She whispered.

"Yeah…" Anthony sniffled and wiped his nose on the back of his hand, smearing it with a line of blood. "I got into a fight last hour through no fault of my own. I thought my nose would stop bleeding, but it hasn't."

"Oh…" Carrie hiccupped and folded her hands over her books.

"Are you okay, though?" He sounded concerned. "Are you hurt?"

"I don't know." She wrapped her arms around her belly and groaned. "I'm bleeding."

"Oh…" Anthony paled slightly. "So, THAT'S what happened…"

"It hurts…"

"Er… I bet." He winced. "You should talk to Alice about that. I'm afraid I wouldn't be much help on the subject. Maybe if I'd been born a girl, I could help. But I wasn't, so…"

"She explained it to me." Carrie sighed. "I'll be okay."

"You sure?" He put his hand gently on her shoulder. "If you need to talk about it, Alice is here for you. Anything else but this, though, I'm here."

"It's fine." She looked up and closed her eyes.

"Send in Cassie Wright." Mr Morton's voice was slightly muffled through the door.

"I guess that's me." Carrie got up and gathered her books.

"I'll call you after school, okay?" Anthony stood too. "And if that doesn't work, we can talk tomorrow."

"Okay." She looked down.

"Hey." He moved closer to her and gave her a hug. "It's gonna be okay."

"Thanks." Carrie sniffled, pulled away, and walked into the assistant principal's office.

"Sure." Anthony sat back down with a sigh and looked toward the door. "Excuse me." The secretary looked up.

"Yes?"

"May I have a tissue, please?" His nose still hadn't stopped bleeding.

"By all means, take one. Take the box."

"Thank you." Anthony got up, took a tissue, sat back down, and carefully plugged his nose.

"It's CARRIE!" He was startled by Carrie's voice and a shattering noise before the office door swung open and she ran out.

"Carrie?" Anthony stood to see where she'd been gone, but she didn't hear him and was already out of sight. "Okay. I'll see you later."

* * *

"She WHAT?!" Alice spat out her drink.

"Shh!" Anthony looked around to make sure nobody was listening. "Yeah. Be quiet. Someone will hear."

"Well, is she all right?"

"I don't know. I suppose so, physically, but she seemed pretty upset."

"Who wouldn't be?" Alice leaned closer to him and lowered her voice. "This is her first period. Her FIRST."

"Alice." Anthony winced. "Stop saying that. I get it. Okay? I suppose it'd be frightening for anybody."

"If you're 16 and you still haven't gotten it, something could be wrong."

"Really?" He didn't remember learning that little tidbit in health class.

"Yes. I don't care what Mum says about 'late blooming'. When it's over 4 years late, there's a problem."

"It does seem a bit odd, but-"

"'A bit odd'?!" Alice's eyes were starting to bug out.

"Alice, lower your voice." People were starting to stare.

"Anthony, something could be wrong with Carrie." Her voice went back down to a whisper. "She may very well be cancerous, or something like that."

"I highly doubt that's the case." Anthony sighed. "Look, let's not worry about this now. We'll call her after school to see how she's doing."

"Okay." Alice sighed.

"She ought to be fine."

"Sure." She picked up her spoon and took a bite of mashed potato. "Okay."

* * *

"Hello, Mrs White?" Alice held the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she opened a bottle of Coke. "May I speak with Carrie, please?"

"With whom am I speaking?"

"This is Alice Barker from next door." She took a swig of her Coke.

"Is she there?" Anthony whispered. Alice waved her hand and motioned for him to be quiet.

"I'm sorry, but Carrie's resting."

"Oh. Okay. Thank you anyway."

"Is she there? What's going on?" Anthony pressed his ear to the phone.

"Anthony, shut up!" Alice blinked at the sound of the dial tone. "She hung up."

"Damn." He headed into the living room and sat down on the couch. "Well. There goes that plan."

"Well, maybe we'll see 'er tomorrow."

"Maybe."

"Carrie might be feeling better tomorrow and she might be able to walk with us."

"Or we could have Mum or Dad drive us and give her a ride."

"Walking is better for cramps."

"Uh…" Anthony thought that sounded a bit contradictory.

"Who's the girl here, Anthony?"

"…You."

"Exactly. So trust what I say. Not to mention that I just happen to be older than you anyhow."

"Only by like 8 minutes."

"Still." Alice sat up and went to put her Coke in the fridge. "Just go with it."

"All right." Anthony sighed. "I can do that."

* * *

"Morning, Carrie."

"Morning, Alice." Carrie kept her head down.

"Heard about yesterday." Alice put her hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"How are you feeling today?" Anthony asked.

"Not good."

"Are you feeling better, at least?"

"A little." Carrie glanced at Anthony. "How's your nose?"

"It stopped bleeding around lunchtime."

"That's good to know." She looked down at her books.

"Do you think you'll be okay today?"

"Yeah." She tucked her hair behind her ear and sniffled.

"What happened there?"

"Ohuh?" She blinked.

"You're bruised."

"I am?" Carrie touched her cheek where Mama had stricken her. "Oh… That."

"Did someone do that to you?" Anthony rested his hand lightly on her shoulder.

"No." She let her hair fall back into her face.

(bloody liar such a filthy liar Carrie he's going to find out eventually)

"Carrie, if someone's hurting you, you can talk to us." He sounded very concerned.

"If you want us to help, just say so. We'll be here." Alice hopped on one foot to adjust her shoe. "All you have to do is ask."

"Nothing is wrong." Carrie snapped. "Just stop talking about it. I don't need help."

"Okay." Alice held her hands up in defeat. "I'm just saying."

"I'm not talking about it anymore."

"It's fine. We understand." Anthony patted Carrie's back. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but when and if you decide you do, we're here."

"Okay." She sighed in exasperation. "That's fine."

* * *

**Screw it. I'll just end it there. Next chapter soon.**


	5. Author's note

**Well, crap. Now that I've seen the new Carrie, it looks like I'm going to have to rethink this whole bloody story.**

**If any of you has any advice on how I should reboot the plot of this story, let me know, either by review or private message. If you have any requests, please feel free to send them for consideration. However, I will not bump the rating up to M since there is nothing in it that would warrant an M rating, nor does Carrie have to find an OC boyfriend. I already know what I want to do with the story, relationship-wise, it's just a matter of organizing my thoughts and writing them down in a way that makes sense.**

**I have no plans to discontinue or abandon this fic, but college makes it somewhat difficult to find time to write. So, again, ideas are welcome.**

**I DO PLAN TO FINISH THIS STORY. The next person who asks me that is going to get whacked in the head with a shovel.**


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